FederalDaily - October 18, 2005
FSA Program Has E-Mail Troubles
SHPS, Inc., the third party administrator of flexible spending account program
for federal employees, called FSAFEDS, has informed the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) that a significant number of e-mails that the company sends
to federal agencies and enrolled employees are coming back to SHPS as undeliverable. An
OPM memo said a major reason seems to be that SHPS e-mails are being blocked
by some agencies or parts of agencies, perhaps as part of a spam or security
check. The e-mails that are most frequently returned to the company as undeliverable
are ones SHPS sends to the Departments of Justice, State, Homeland Security
and Defense. But OPM warned: “Those are simply the e-mails most
frequently sent back as undeliverable. Others come back as well.”
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New Bill Would Bolster CBP
A new bill, the Rapid Response Border Protection Act of 2005 (H.R. 4044),
sponsored by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, would require the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) to increase the number of Customs and Border Patrol
(CBP) employees and provide them more training. The bill also includes requirements
for CBP body armor, vehicles, uniform items and training facilities.American
Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) National Homeland Security Council
President Charles Showalter and AFGE Border Patrol Council President T.J. Bonner
said theysupport the legislation. They said the bill would
ensure workplace protections for all DHS employees, and full law enforcement
status for CBP officers.
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OMB Issues New Guidance on Cutting Waste
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Oct. 14 issued guidance to federal
agencies to cut bureaucratic barriers to the quick distribution of benefits
to hurricane victims in need, while taking steps to verify eligibility for
such benefits. OMB said to ensure that the new benefit procedures do not lead
to waste, fraud or abuse, the guidance instructs federal agencies to sunset
the benefit distribution procedures and step up post-payment verification procedures.
To compensate for front-end controls that have been limited or waived, federal
agencies will increase post-payment audits, offset the amount of future payments
where overpayments have been identified, and increase the number of post-payment
auditors, OMB said.
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USMC Recruiters Convicted of Transporting Aliens
A U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) recruiter stationed in Laredo, Texas, was convicted
last week of transporting three illegal Mexican alien women in July, according
to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Victor Domingo Ramirez, 27, now faces up
to 10 years in prison and up to a $250,000 fine for his crime. The government
presented evidence showing that, while in uniform and driving a government
van, Ramirez knowingly transported three illegal aliens. A second USMC recruiter
was also charged in this case. Vic Martin Martinez, 31, also of Laredo, has
been convicted to knowingly making a materially false statement to federal
agents. Martinez, who rode as a passenger in the government vehicle driven
by Ramirez, lied to federal agents about his reasons for traveling to San Antonio
in the government van with Ramirez. Martinez also pleaded guilty on Oct. 11,
and faces a maximum punishment of five years in federal prison and a $250,000
fine, according to DOJ.
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